Friction
by xXBlissfulCursesXx
Summary: Olivia shivered as the spider webs brushed the exposed part of her back where her shirt had hitched. It brought goose bumps to her skin as she tingled from the feared anticipation of what she was about to discover. 'T' For language. Chapter 5 is up!
1. 11 steps

**Author's note -**

**Okay, so the title doesn't have much to do with the story at the moment but I liked the sound of it so I was like 'okay'.**

**Also, I probably won't update this one again until next weekend or possibly as far away as the school holidays.**

**...I'm just that lazy.**

**Disclaimer: I am so very very very tired and I'm about to pass out so I'll just say I don't own any of the characters you reconize.**

**Nighty night.**

**Enjoy...**

**WAIT!!! I'm really sorry but I might not have the next chapter done until next weekend because it's assessment time at school which means like a trillion different assignments and I'll probably die typing at my computer.**

**Lol.**

**Okay, now you can:**

**Enjoy...**

* * *

Olivia shivered as the spider webs brushed the exposed part of her back where her shirt had hitched. It brought goose bumps to her skin as she tingled from the feared anticipation of what she was about to discover. She could hear Elliot in her ear as she crawled under the house. For once she scorned her petite figure. It was purely that reason that she had gone under the house instead of him. She came to a wall but quickly found a small wooden door which she pushed on and crawled through. It opened up into a basement like room which had very little light. Olivia surveyed her surroundings in the diminished light and noted a curtained window at the far wall but other than that she couldn't see anything. She went to crawl a little further but lost her grounding as she felt the stairs collide with her ribs. She tumbled down the eleven steps; feeling each one come into contact with her body more than once. When she hit the concrete ground she groaned, knowing full well that Eliot would hear - if the mic was still working.

"Liv? Olivia?" His concerned voice crackled into her ear.

She groaned again in response as she felt the ice of the concrete seep into her skin as the air of the already cold room filled her lungs.

"Olivia, what happened?"

More crackling.

"Liv?"

No response.

"Olivia!?" Elliot's voice became more concerned with the amount of static coming over the radio.

"Head. Stairs. Ow." Olivia managed to grit out before the throbbing and swirling in her head became too much and she succumbed to the slightly less dank darkness of unconsciousness.

"Olivia? What happened?" Elliot called again, "Hello, Liv?"

Elliot got no response again.

"I'm going in." Elliot told Officer Leroy as he began unhooking from the bulky radio and taking his long coat off which was shielding him from the icy cold wind.

"You're not going to fit." Leroy stated matter-of-factly.

"Do you think I care?" Elliot asked as he stuck his head into the cavity under the house. Hi slowly shimmied his shoulders in, which was the broader part of his body. After he managed this feat his legs followed, then his black soled work shoes disappeared from view as well.

Elliot crawled on all fours as he got further and further into the eerie black.

The only light he had was from the small entrance behind him; the bulk of which was covered by Leroy and his inquisitiveness of the mystery which seemed to resemble a thriller that would be rented from the local video store – A 'who-dunnit' most likely.

Elliot crawled further into the darkness, soon reaching the same wall Olivia had.

He felt along it and found the door which was now open. He quickly glance around the room and spotted a dark figure lying motionless – He in. Judging by the angle it was in proportion to where Elliot was he guessed there was a set of stairs.

He cautiously descended the steps and reached Olivia. He reached out and touched her arm which was cold to his fingertips.

"Liv?" He whispered.

Olivia groaned as Elliot touched her shoulder.

"Okay, how to get out of here?" Elliot muttered to himself as looked around and spotted the window on the far wall, "Guess that's our escape route."

He turned his attention back to Olivia quickly and began to feel for her pulse. He wasn't sure whether it was fast or slow but it was there so that was a start. Next was warmth. He lips were turning blue from the combination of the cold air in the underground room as well as the ground which felt as cold as ice

Elliot realised that his only solution to that problem would probably result in IAB and potentially losing a testicle at the power of Olivia's knee.

"Liv?" Elliot tried again.

"S-so c-cold." Olivia managed to stutter, although her eyes were still closed.

"I know Livvy, we'll be out soon." Elliot stroked Olivia's hair as she sighed and shivered.

"Leroy, go search around the base of the house and look for a window." Elliot radioed back to Leroy.

"Roger that." Leroy set off to look for the window and quickly spotted one over the other side of the house.

"Got it." Leroy radioed back and tapped on it.

"Okay." Elliot noticed the tapping on the window and decided to see if it would actually open.

Elliot quietly got up and walked over to the small blackish glass, at a closer look he realised it was caked in dust. Elliot pushed hard against the window before pulling it. Even the jiggling of the handle didn't work.

Knowing he was going to have to smash the window he radioed back to Leroy with the same information.

"Make sure you stand back." Was all Leroy said.

Elliot did as he was told.

Several seconds later the window was smashed in by a blunt object. Leroy laid Elliot's jacket across the frame before shinning a torch into the disheveled room.

Eliot was back to Olivia's side and slowly trying to help her stand.

"I can do it El." Olivia winged as she tried to stand.

After falling on her arse several times she accepted the help.

Eventually she was standing but walking was a whole other story.

"Why don't I just carry you?" Elliot asked for the seventh time as the wind outside howled.

"Fine!" Olivia finally conceded.

"Okay, here we go." Elliot lifted Olivia before carrying her back to the window.

As the window only reached his shoulder Elliot had to lift her higher. Once Olivia was being pulled through by Leroy Elliot hoisted himself up.

Once they were back on the same level an ambulance had been called. Elliot reached out to stroke Olivia's hair and run his fingers down her back. When he came into contact with something wet he pulled his hand away.

Olivia's blood was smeared across his fingers.

"Fuck."

* * *

**It's 2:43am. I am dead...tired.**

**Lol.**

**I ate too much Chicken and now I feel dizzy - yes; chicken makes me dizzy.**

**Okay, I'm going to bed now.**

**Let me know what you think.**

**Haha, did you enjoy my cliffie?**

**Not much of one if you think about it.**

**Anyway, Like I said; Nighty night.**

**'Brain explodes and dies'.**

**Review and put my brain back together.**

**Yay!!**

**Love,**

**Curses...**


	2. 4 Shots

**Author's note - **

**I was actually going to add more to this chapter but decided to leave it there.**

**I know it's short and I'm sorry but tough shit...I mean that in a caring way.**

**Anyway, this is chapter two. You're very lucky because I'm mean't to be doing an english essay on propaganda - Blurgh.**

**Disclaimer - I have no pants...sort of...I have no jeans - Do you think I'm going to own anything if I don't own a pair of jeans?(They ripped - both pairs within the same week) No. **

**I probably won't have another chapter up until next week end.**

**So...**

**Enjoy...**

* * *

Elliot quickly shifted so he could see Olivia's back more clearly. Blood was gently seeping from a wound that he realised she must have gotten when she was dragged through the window. It wasn't too bad because her ripped shirt seemed to be doing a nice job of soaking up the blood. By the looks of things Elliot thought she might need stitches.

Olivia groggily sat up and tried to rub her arms and legs to keep warm. Her head had stopped spinning now but there was still a dull throb. She hissed in pain when she moved her arms, also quickly discovering her other injury.

"We called an ambulance, Liv." Elliot told her, also feeling the cold biting into his skin.

"What? Are you serious? I don't need to go to hospital." Olivia protested.

Elliot was about to come back with some snide remark but was cut off by Leroy, "I agree."

Elliot's brow furrowed and Olivia looked up at their fellow officer, "See Elliot, why can't you be more like him?" Olivia shook her head.

'_Because I care about you more.'_

'_Because I know better than to let you get away with hospital visits.'_

'_Because I've known you for nearly nine years.'_

'_Because you're stubborn.'_

'_Because Cragen will kick my arse if something happens to you.'_

'_Because I don't want anything to happen to you.'_

Elliot wanted to say all these things but what came out was something no-one was expecting.

"Because he has a gun." Olivia furrowed her brow then followed Elliot's gaze to where Leroy had a gun trained on Olivia. Leroy knew that holding a gun to just one of them would keep the other there as well.

"Very good detective." All of a sudden Leroy's features were distorted by something sickening.

"What the hell do you want?" Olivia's ferocity was back and she was pissed; not only did she have a probable concussion but she was being held at gun point.

Elliot subtly felt for the rubber 'up' button of the portable that was clipped to his belt. He quickly found it and gently began pressing it. He knew the channel they had been on and what frequency he wanted so he knew the amount of times the button needed to be pressed.

"Well, you know about that little room now and we can't have you going back to your station house and reporting it because then I'd be in the same position that you are right now." Leroy smirked at this.

_Bingo!_

Elliot held the talk button, hoping that Munch was in the radio room for his lunch hour, listening in to see if he could find any proof to dignify his 'M&M and US Presidents' theory.

"And what position is that?" Olivia quirked an eye brow.

"The position where someone else is holding the gun."

Elliot's gaze shifted from Leroy to Olivia. He almost looked away again but something caught his eye. He noticed Olivia's gun was no longer in its holster. He caught a glimpse of the butt in her hand and already knew how this was going to be played out.

He quickly started fumbling with the holster of is own gun.

"What do you think you're doing?" Leroy asked.

"Scratching." Elliot replied.

"Throw your gun's towards me."

That was the signal. Both Elliot and Olivia raised their guns and pointed them at Leroy.

Leroy laughed; the sound grating on every nerve.

"Either one of you shoots me and I'm going to shoot her." Leroy grinned maliciously.

Before anyone good comprehend the proposition just made the shrill sound of a shot being fired was made, quickly followed by a second, third and forth.

Leroy's body collapsed on top of Olivia due to the position he had been standing.

Olivia fell back onto the grass with the weight of the dead man's body, feeling desperate t move from her position as her breath became short and rushed as she struggled to find the oxygen she needed. It hurt to breathe; the cold air was burning her lungs and made her throat felt like it was being cut from the inside out.

She gasped as she felt blood trickling across her stomach and dripping down her waist and onto to the frozen grass below.

She wanted to be sick.

Elliot could account for two shots and he knew Olivia could account for at least one. It was her shot that had set him off. He prayed that she had fired two as well because if she hadn't there was every possibility that she had been the one to receive the second shot.

* * *

**Sorry for the cliffie but I couldn't help myself. I know, I'm cruel.**

**Anyway, tonight I went to my mum's friend's birthday get together and the husband of one of the women's friends made her a cake - An actual 'sponge' cake. It was pretty funny. THen they pulled out the real cake which was crap - litterally. It was chocolate and some of the icing had been piped to look like...well, shit. They had stuck bits of 'fruit tingles' in it to look like other stuff too. It was hilarious - childish but hilarious.**

**Okay, I'm about to fall asleep here.**

**Nighty night!**

**Xoxo.**


	3. 1000 Snowflakes

**Author's note - **

**Stupid site killed my A/N - I'm not writing it again.**

**Anyway, here is chapter 3.**

**Disclaimer: I'll ask 'Santa' for christams but until then I don't own anything.**

**Enjoy...**

* * *

Everything become motionless, nothing in the world seemed to be moving, the only signs of life being the cold crystallized breath slowly seeping between Elliot and Olivia's lips only to disappear in the wind which was beginning to nip at their exposed skin. All of a sudden everything began to speed up and Elliot was dragging Leroy off Olivia and exposing her to the dry wind of the wintry New York City streets. Warmth seemed to still be dripping down Olivia's sides and soaking her tee-shirt a deep crimson which she came to realise was not Leroy's blood but her own of which should be flowing through her heart and not moistening the dirt under her fingertips which were rested lightly on reddened grass.

Eliot's crystal blue eyes turned to resemble the colour of the sky which Olivia was gazing up to, wondering if their really was a god and whether or not he was going to spare her this now if only to kill her in an accident on the way to hospital just so she could have a few more precious moments with the man that was now kneeling at her side.

"Liv, Liv look at me." Elliot's voice was a shaky whisper.

Olivia slowly drew her gaze from the swirling clouds above to Elliot's eyes that were storming over as well.

She looked lifeless even now which scared Elliot beyond belief as he pressed his jacket onto Olivia's abdomen. Her eyes contained a fire only moments ago but it had now diminished to a low glowing ember in a furnace or her iris.

"You're going to be okay, you're going to be okay." Elliot whispered as he smoothed back her hair.

Olivia's eyes fluttered closed and the darkness once again began to consume her. Her eyes snapped open again when she felt Elliot's hand on her shoulder. The realization of pain was almost blinding like that of the misty white light which blasted her senses as thousands of feather light snowflakes settled on the ground around her and the once pure white was now tainted with her blood causing them to melt and dissolve in the sickly warm liquid.

Olivia groaned.

Elliot gingerly swept his hand down her cheek and let his fingers trace her jaw, "You gotta hold on Liv, please, just hold on." Elliot was almost crying now.

Sirens began to float through the eerie white abyss and Olivia slowly fell back into the black that beckoned to her, too strong to ignore and too easy to give in to.

She heard Elliot calling to her, his voice whispered in the distance. Everything around her made her feel like she was teetering on the edge of the world, about to fall into oblivion.

"Liv, come back."

Elliot's voice echoed around her head, each syllable accentuating itself before disappearing completely as her world disappeared.

Elliot stared down at Olivia's porcelain like face. Elliot had never seen her look so pale. Her features were contorted in pain and her lips trembled slightly as shed drew in each shaky breath.

All of a sudden Elliot was no longer alone. He turned to find two paramedics standing over him in regular issue white polos and green scrub pants, their kits in their hands.

"Detective could you please step back?" One asked as the other attended to Leroy's lifeless body.

Eliot was now on auto-pilot and did as he was told. He heard the other paramedic call for a morgue ambulance and he prayed he wouldn't have to call for a second. The ambulance officer that was attending to Leroy now turned his attention to Olivia.

Both ambulance officers began checking her over but still kept the pressure with Elliot's coat.

Every moment that passed in the time between putting Olivia on the gurney and standing in the waiting room had blurred together and was no longer something Elliot could recognize as a memory.

He stood in the too-warm waiting room doing just that – waiting. He wasn't sure whether the hospital had cranked the heat up too high due to the slowly falling snow outside or if it was just him but he knew if he didn't get some fresh air soon he was going to pass out. Just as he was about to head down the corridor to the brightly lit green 'exit' sign, Casey ran towards him, the distinct clipping of her heels on the lino getting more haphazard as she got closer.

"Is she going to be okay?" Casey sniffled, as she took off her heels.

"I don't know yet." Elliot sighed.

"Elliot, please say she's going to be okay because if she isn't I don't know what I'm going to do!" Casey burst into sobs as her voice cracked at the end.

Elliot held her close to him and let her soak his shirt with tears until Cragen appeared at the end of the hall way. Soon he had his hand on Casey's shoulder and was turning her towards him.

Casey went willingly as Cragen searched Elliot's eyes, "How is she?"

"I don't know." Elliot sighed, scrubbing his hands over his face.

"Olivia Benson?" A doctor, who Elliot recognized as Dr Stanford who had been there when Elliot had gone through the window, asked.

"Yes?" Everyone replied in unison.

* * *

**Did you know the woman who plays Rebecca Hendrix also plays 'Joon' in the movie 'Benny and Joon'.**

**I worked it out when we had to watch it english today.**

**I feel proud.**

**Anyway, I didn't have any home workso I thought I would update...**

**Now, show me the love!!**

**Xoxo...**

**Curses**


	4. 2 Coffees

**Author's note - **

**I decided to update this because I printed off what I had written and took it to school to show some friends and they were like 'This is really good - you better type some more soon!' and because they can actually hurt me I decided I should probably do something about that cliffhanger from last time.**

**So anyway, **

**Here is chapter 4 - you've all been very patient.**

**Disclaimer: I have a black pen, a maths book, two glasses, a box of tissues, some speakers and several other possessions - none of which indicate I have any rights to SVU.. -cry- So basically, I don't own any of the characters that you recognize.**

**Enjoy...**

* * *

"Hi Elliot, is there a Simon Marsden? You're both listed as next of kin." Dr Stanford asked.

"Simon will be here as soon as possible." Cragen answered when everyone faced him.

"Or now." Casey said.

"How is she?" Simon asked frantically as he ran up to the small group.

"As you know Elliot, she lost a lot of blood. We're running a transfusion now as we speak. The bullet just missed her stomach but caught the side of her abdomen so she just had damage to the flesh and a fractured rib which came dangerously close to puncturing her lung." Dr. Stanford finished.

"When can we see her?" Elliot asked, finding his voice.

"I can only take you and Simon now but I'll see if I can pull a few strings." Dr. Stanford smiled sadly.

"Thank you." Cragen returned the same smile.

Casey wiped her eyes and nodded her thanks as well.

"Now, would you two please follow me?" The doctor asked.

Elliot and Simon gave each other a side ways look and nodded in unison. They were led through a door followed by a series of corridors. Everyone kept the same pace until they finally reached Olivia's room.

Dr. Stanford stood out side the door and paused before turning the handle, ""She's not awake yet but I will allow you both to sit with her. I'll try and pull some strings and get…?"

"Don and Casey." Elliot supplied.

"And get Don and Casey up here as well. Please be quiet because Olivia needs to get her maximum amount of rest if she's going to recover quickly."

Simon and Elliot nodded before entering the room, "Thanks Doc." Elliot said quietly as the Doctor's caramel hair swished and she was gone.

Simon was already sitting beside Olivia's bed watching her, silently debating whether holding her hand would wake her or not. Elliot decided to help Simon with his thoughts.

"She's only come out of surgery half an hour ago. She'll still be out of it for a while, it won't wake her."

Simon gave an awkward smile, showing his gratitude and taking Olivia's hand in his.

Elliot remained in the door way and watched Olivia breathing, thankful that she still could.

The room stayed like that; still and silent, for over an hour before Elliot realised his foot was now asleep. He shifted a bit and Simon looked up at him, tears evident on his cheeks.

"I'm gonna go and get some coffee, you want one?" Elliot asked in a hoarse whisper.

Simon nodded and with that Elliot left.

When the door closed behind him Olivia stirred lightly in the bed but didn't fully wake.

Simon gripped her hand and watched as her features contorted in pain, physical or emotional – he was unsure. Olivia began to mumble in her sleep before saying something about Elliot not doing something. Before Simon could comprehend what was happening he heard Olivia shriek and watched her shoot up in bed before screaming in agony as her stitches pulled at the already tender area of her bullet wound.

Olivia fell back onto the bed and writhed in pain as the fog in her mind became more of a thick mist.

"You're okay, Olivia." Simon said quietly.

"Elliot?" Olivia groaned quietly.

"No, it's Simon." Simon pushed Olivia's hair back and smiled when she looked up at him.

"Simon?" Olivia asked; her voice full of grogginess.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Okay." Olivia sighed.

Her throat was dry and sitting up in bed so abruptly had completely shot her energy levels – no pun intended. She knew she was in a hospital but that was about all her mind could comprehend in her disoriented state.

Within seconds Olivia was back to sleep, already exhausted from the one minute conversation.

Simon sat back again and watched his sister sleep peacefully in her drug induced haze.

Elliot returned a couple of minutes later with two coffees in hand. He hand one to Simon before taking a sip of his own. The steaming black liquid slid down his throat and he was happy for the relief it washed over him.

They stayed in silence until Simon thought it was necessary to notify Elliot of what had happened a couple of minutes ago.

"She woke up."

Elliot was caught off guard by the statement that was made out of the blue.

"Oh."

"She thought I was you." Simon told him.

"What'd she say?"

"Nothing. She just thought I was you and then I said it was me and she said 'okay' and fell asleep." Simon shrugged as if it was nothing but the slight grimace that was clear to see on his lips said otherwise.

"What?" Elliot asked, his voice filling with concern.

"Nothing, just when she sat up she screamed because of her stitches or something I think but I know she was in pain." Simon faced away from Elliot to look back to Olivia who groaned in her sleep.

"I'll go and get a doctor to check it." Elliot furrowed his brow before getting up to leave.

"No, don't worry; I'll go." Simon rose from his chair and stretched a little to rid himself of the stiffness which had etched its way into his back and legs.

"You sure?" Elliot asked.

"Positive. I need to get rid of the pins and needles in my feet." Simon walked past Elliot and to the door, "Look after her for me."

Elliot nodded and took Simon's seat after hearing the door close. He scooted the chair closer to the bed and moved his hand to Olivia's. Instead of taking it in hid he began to draw lazy swirling patterns across her palms, running his fingertips up along her slender fingers to meet with her own fingertips then to retreat back to her palm and trace the lifelines which ran across it. He watched her face as he did it to each finger and smiled when she rolled her head slightly to the side when he ran his finger along her right ring finger.

Elliot smiled.

For the first time since accident a 'Stabler smile' cracked the harsh reality of the word and for a moment it was just him and Olivia.

He moved to her pinky then.

He heard someone open the door behind him and turned his head to see Simon followed by a tall female doctor who seemed to have the poise and posture of someone who lived in a big house but her parents were never home. Her dark hair was down but pinned back a little bit by a clasp at the back. Her heels quietly clicked on the linoleum floor as she walked over to Olivia's left side and peeled back the sheets until they sat a bit below her hips.

The woman hitched up Olivia's hospital gown to inspect the gauze which was tapped to her torso (wrapping wasn't very efficient when the patient was lying down and still unconscious).

The woman began to peel the tape from Olivia's skin carefully, rolling the little strips that did come off into balls before dropping them on the floor.

Once the tape was removed she slowly pulled the gauze back before revealing the injury to Elliot and Simon properly for the first time.

The both sucked a quick breath in through their teeth, making that sort of hissing sound in empathy for the amount of pain that they imagined Olivia was probably in.

"Ouch." That was the only comment from the doctor before the light clipping of her heels across the linoleum was heard once again as she walked across the room to the door and exited before returning moments later with a nurse.

* * *

**I've decided I'm going to plug my other story 'Cut' because it's got 194 reviews and I won't update again until I get 200. I know - I'm demanding.**

**Also, You should read it because my author's notes are funny. Lol.**

**Anyway, I'm not sure what to say now...That's right - I am actually out of words...sort of...that's not the point...The point is...That you should review because...otherwise I won't stop with the ' ... '.**

**Love,**

**Curses.**


	5. 184 Repeats

**Author's note - **

**Unlike NettieC, I have had no trouble with logging in and the reason for my delay is that I am simply exceedingly lazy and bored.**

**And when I'm bored my writing becomes crap drabble which turns into a heap of shit that you end up reading and going 'this is a heap of shit'.**

**So I decided to give it a little while until my brain became un-bored.**

**Anyway, this is my un-heap-of-shitish, un-bored writing which I think is okay.**

**The mood takes a bit of a turn about halway through but that's only because I wrote each part at a different time and my 'mojo' was all differenty-like.**

**Disclaimer: I have so much crap under my bed that I no longer feel the immediate need to rid myself of it because it might be living and disrupting content things usually makes them un-content and rather pissy...but, I will gladly trade the lot of it for even just Olivia's left pinkie toe and Elliot's right earlobe...No? Okay, I guess I don't own any of the characters you recognise then. Gosh!!**

**...I just realised that is a pretty long disclaimer.**

**Lol.**

**Enjoy...**

* * *

The bullet ripped through her body again and again and again. She felt it hitting every single nerve in her body and the pain was incredible. 

Olivia groaned pitifully as another wave of agony tore through her.

"Liv? Liv, honey?" Elliot was gripping her hand as the doctor pulled her stitches together.

Olivia let out a scream as the tender flesh was pulled together. It broke Elliot's heart.

"Shhhh…shhh, Honey. It's almost over." Elliot whispered and kissed her knuckles.

"Urgh…" Olivia groaned through her gritted teeth as she writhed on the bed.

"Hold her still or she'll rip them again and we'll need to start over." The doctor told him as Simon turned back to face the wall – he wasn't good with this kind of thing.

"Livvy, Liv, focus on my voice." Elliot whispered as he held her shoulders in place.

"_It hurts_." Olivia ground out, scrunching her eyes against the obvious agony as if it they would shield her from the pain or at least some of it.

"I know. I know, honey." Elliot murmured as he smoothed back some of her hair.

"Alright – we're done." The doctor smiled and admired her work of black thread and antisepticised flesh.

"You're done Liv." Elliot smiled sadly.

"Thank you doctor…?" Simon began.

"Alexis Madden." Alexis smiled.

"Thank you Doctor Madden."

Alexis nodded, "Not a problem. Now Olivia, what's the pain like out of ten?"

"It hurts." Olivia moaned again.

"I know it does Olivia, but you need to tell me how much." Alexis tells her slowly.

"E-Eleven." Olivia gritted out between her teeth before gasping as her skin broke out in goose bumps, pulling her skin the slightest bit.

"Okay. I'll be back in a moment." Alexis crossed the room somewhere to the left of Olivia's bed.

Olivia groaned again, pressing her head back against the pillows.

"Shhhh…" Elliot whispered as he placed a hand gently on each side of her face.

Olivia's eyes fluttered open momentarily before scrunching closed as another wave of pain crashed over her body.

"Shhhh…it's ok, you're okay Liv." Elliot ran his thumb across her cheekbone before dropping his fingers to run along her jaw.

"Here this should make the pain dull almost instantly." Alexis told the room in general, as she hooked up a bag of morphine to Olivia's drip, along with the bag of antibiotics that were already there, "She should be pretty out of it but she won't be in pain. I'll be back later when I do my rounds." The clipping of Alexis' heels disappeared out the door and down the hallway.

Elliot watched as Olivia's eyelids relaxed after all of two seconds as well as the grip she subconsciously had on sheets, loosen substantially. Only ten seconds later she looked up at Elliot with big doe eyes and cracked a smile.

"What?" Elliot found he was smiling in spite of himself.

"I'm sorry." Olivia sighed.

Elliot furrowed his brow, "Why?"

"Because I got shot." Olivia rolled her head to look at Simon.

"Hi Simon!" Olivia grinned.

"I don't know you that well and now you're high. What kind of example are you setting for you're little brother?" Simon grinned as well.

Olivia's smile widened.

She rolled her head back to look at Elliot who was now sitting on the edge of her bed, looking down at her.

"You have really pretty eyes." She hummed.

Elliot laughed, "So do you Liv."

"I like you." Olivia closed her eyes.

Elliot paused for a moment before replying, "I like you too Liv."

Olivia's eyes opened slowly, "No, I mean I really like you but I can't because Don will get angry and then I won't have a job and I'll end up old with lots of cats and…what was I talking about?" Olivia's brow furrowed.

"Something about Don getting angry." Elliot reminded her.

"Oh yeah, well he'd be angry because I'm not meant to like you because IAB sucks and…" Olivia trailed off, losing her train of thought.

"I'm so tired." She closed her eyes once again, falling asleep almost immediately.

"She is so high." Simon grinned.

"Oh yeah." Elliot nodded in agreement.

---

Hours passed.

Hours which break down into minutes.

Minutes which break down into seconds.

He counts them.

One, two, three, four.

He's counted those same four numbers at least 184 times.

184 repeats.

Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen.

They swirl around his head and it's the only thing stopping him from thinking about that bullet.

That single shot that could have taken not only hers, but his life as well.

Twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two.

Sleep sounded good.

Because the seconds and minutes and hours and time itself ha blurred and it no longer existed.

Forty-three, twenty-eight, nine, fifty-four.

Really, time had stopped existing when the bullet had penetrated the air, sliding out of the barrel and through the air, through the air and into her, into her flesh.

Time had stopped when blood, her blood, had spattered across the white walls of the disheveled house which contained a secret.

A secret which a bullet tried to protect.

Time had stopped when her blood was on him, covering his shirt and his hands.

_His hands._

It was everywhere, staining them. Forever present even when the presumed last of it had washed down the ominous drain of what was no longer wanted.

It wasn't right.

_He wanted it._

He wanted it, he wanted her blood; he wanted it to be sealed back within her, pumping through her veins, through her heart, not through the pipes of Manhattan. Not through those dirty pipes, her blood wasn't meant for grit it was meant to keep a warmth crawling under her skin.

_Not through those dirty pipes._

Seconds passed.

Seconds which stretched into minutes.

Minutes which stretched into hours.

Hours which stretched time itself until it wrapped them into a world of their own where time no longer existed and they had forever just to sleep and rest, knowing all he needed was to be in her company.

* * *

**See, it changes loads.**

**Oh well.**

**It's meant to be summer but instead it's all cold and gross outside. The nights are meant to be warm but currently, I wouldn't go outside even in a tracksuit, so...I think you should take pitty on me and review because I need something warm and fuzzy to keep my blood circulating...even flames...so yeah...review!!**

**Urgh - I'm about to take some panadol now and eat some cheese on toast and if I'm really bothered I might even start typing the next chapter of "The Confessions Of A Broken Heart". Part of it is hand written but I might type some of it up...if I feel like it.**

**:D**

**Lots-a-lovin,**

**Curses.**

**P.S. I did actually finish this last night but fanfiction is being gay and wouldn't let me update...and I'm not bothered to go through and edit my author's note...so yeah.**

**Bye.**


End file.
